Jay Chou – Capricorn / Mo Jie Zuo

Track listing
1. Long Zhan Qi Shi
2. Gei Wo Yi Shou Ge De Shi Jian
3. She Wu
4. Hua Hai
5. Mo Shu Xian Sheng
6. Shuo Hao De Xing Fu Ne
7. Lan Ting Xu
8. Liu Lang Shi Ren
9. Shi Guang Ji
10. Qiao Ke Shu Shu
11. Dao Xiang

Jay Chou’s latest album was definitely a commercial success, selling over 1 million copies just in the first couple of weeks despite previous leaking online. But that’s not really a surprise. I think the real question is does the album match up to its huge sales?

If every song on the album was as good as the opening track, Long Zhan Qi Shi, then yes. The arrangement and the beats are superb, his rapping is smooth and the chorus is awesome. This track is an excellent example of his rock/R&B/hip-hop fusion style. She Wu is also fusion track but not as strong as the opening. It uses traditional Chinese sounds mixed with some beats. Actually after a while, the chorus gets a little annoying, but the rapping during the verses is not bad.

Of course, the album has its share of ballads, actually quite a large portion.There’s Gei Wo Yi Shou De De Shi Jian; it’s got a sweet verse and a lovely bridge, though the chorus is average. He tries to spice it up a bit with some light rapping near the end and an R&B influence throughout the whole thing. It works to some degree, because in the end it’s still an enjoyable track. Hua Hai has the elements of a great ballad – a beautiful arrangement, a pretty melody – but there’s just this short segment in the chorus that’s just short of unbearable. I know he does it on purpose, but it kind of makes me want to rip my ears off. I think it’s supposed to emulate some instrument in the intro, but seriously – FAIL

Shuo Hao De Xing Fu Ne simplifies it a bit here using piano as the forefront, strings here and there and a bit of percussion and guitar to round things out. The chorus is quite pretty and Jay’s vocals are very heartfelt, making this one the best ballad on the album. Shi Guang Ji is a quality, mid-tempo track with a light melody. It’s actually quite pretty but not too memorable. Though the chorus is very pleasant to listen to, by the end of the song it gets repetitive.

Dao Xiang closes the album nicely with its R&B and classical fusion. The arrangement is pretty good, and the rapping is not as annoying as other things I’ve heard. I do like the chorus, though, it has a nice rhythm and doesn’t get repetitive after multiple listening.

Jay also experiments with a bunch of different styles. There’s Mo Shu Xian Sheng, a throwback to the big bands of the roaring 20’s and he even yodels (which, I should have to say, but it’s kind of strange – only Julie Andrews should yodel). Jay uses a more cutesy voice, which is okay sometimes, but also kind of annoying at the same time. He probably had fun recording this, but it’s not too much fun to listen to. The worst thing is that it’s kind of catchy and hopefully I won’t have it stuck in my head. He also samples a bit of Niu Zai Hen Mang, from his Wo Hen Mang album last year.

Liu Lang Shu Ren has a bluesy sound, starting off with a harmonica solo, and using a calming arrangement with string bass and such. He also layers in a bit of rapping against the chorus. As experiments go – this one is definitely better than Mo Shu Xian Sheng. Lan Ting Shu takes elements from those old Chinese oldies – traditional instruments and sweeping melodies. If it weren’t for the R&B and hip-hop parts in the middle, I could easily see this as one of those oldies people sing at karaoke.

Qiao Ke Shu Shu is kind like a fusion track, but he uses his annoying voice – which is, of course, annoying. The melody is actually kind of nice but there’s also there freaky laughing sounds, and I’m not sure if it’s supposed to add to the annoying atmosphere or scare me. It also has a bit of a Latin feel to it, which becomes quite obvious later on the track.

Okay, so there are really only a couple of bad tracks on this album, but there are only a couple of amazing tracks. The rest are pretty average, sure to be loved by a diehard Jay fan but mediocre for the people like me who are fans but aren’t obsessed. He’s done better on previous albums and I only hope that his successive albums will be better, use less annoying sound effects, use less annoying voices, and stop the weird experiments.

Buy this album: CD + DVD (Metal Case Edition) | CD + DVD (Calendar Edition) | CD + DVD (Regular Preorder Version) |